


Cinderella's Thong

by glitterburg



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Alternate Universe - Music, Angst, Characters Dealing with Anxiety and Depression, Dancers, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Misunderstandings, Musicians, Pining, Romance, Social Media
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-27 01:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15013433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterburg/pseuds/glitterburg
Summary: Life is a bit hectic but still manageable for Katsuki Yuuri, singer and lead dancer of the internationally successful boyband, YOLO. Their concert tour has just started and he's used to the pressure that comes with it by now, so it's alright. What isn't alright, and what tips his carefully maintained mental stability over, is a fan throwing inappropriate underwear at him with a nasty message.His best friend and bandmate, Phichit Chulanont, isn't able to keep his nose out of what isn't his business, so of course, he takes upon the role of a fairy godmother and starts a hunt on social media to find the man the little black thong belongs to. Why he's trying to turn him into a love interest for Yuuri, that's another question...





	Cinderella's Thong

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> I've been nurturing this plotbunny for a while and it grew into this thing :'D
> 
> There'll be 3 more chapters coming, all of them planned out plot-wise. The rating will eventually go up to M or E, and I'll add more tags as the story progresses. 
> 
> Watch out for swearwords, and jokes with mild sexual context.

> **poodlelbooq**
> 
> I’ll be one of 25,000 spectators tonight, just a tiny speck of light among a thousand, really a nobody. Though, what's the night sky if not a collection of tiny specks of light, right? So, I'd like to think that being there will contribute to a sense of happiness.
> 
> Will you be happy today?
> 
> #what am I even doing #he’s my inspiration #and I want him to know #let’s be real #what are the chances? #from Seoul with love
> 
> **227 notes**

 

Phi’s solo is an upbeat song that fires up the crowd.

Seung-Gil is experimenting with rock music that keeps that fire burning.

GH spreads that fire like he spreads the love with his sweet lyrics.

Yuuri’s ballad smolders that well-nurtured fire.

The round secondary stage Yuuri ascends on from below looks like an island amidst a sea of fans. They're murmuring excitedly, but their low buzz is almost a background noise as he focuses on the momentary quiet inside of his mind. He only remembers the audience because the penlights they're clutching glow similarly to how stars glow in the sky. 

Yuuri runs his fingers along the curvy line of the grand piano’s polished white surface in the complete darkness before he takes his seat in front of it. The piano is going to be his only company for the next five minutes.

He inhales deeply and smooths the folds on his blazer, a royal blue velvet piece that curves along the lines of his torso, tightens around his waist, and widens slightly at his hips. Hundreds of tiny crystal beads adorn it; they cover his shoulders and tumble down his back, arms, and chest like a crystalline waterfall. The oversized, white collar of his shirt brushes his jaw and elongates his neck because the top button is designed to close just below his sternum. With black slacks, dress shoes, and a pair of gloves, he's as elegant as a pop star can ever be.

Yuuri rests his fingers on the keys of the piano, not pressing strong enough to make a sound but enough to mentally prepare himself for the performance he's about to give.

He hits the first key and that single note carries to the furthest corner of the arena as the audience stills to complete muteness. He hits the next, and a single spotlight comes to life above him, designed to imitate the moon and bath him in gentle light.

He sings in Japanese; it's the only song in the playlist that isn't in English tonight. He considered the English version during the rehearsals, but the translation felt almost brusque on his lips. Nothing compares to the beauty of his mother tongue when he's singing his heart out. Maybe he can do English tomorrow if he feels less emotional.

His voice trembles in a few places, but he keeps singing, and he even thinks that maybe it's alright - maybe the audience didn't notice these errors. His voice won't tremble tomorrow, he promises himself.

The silence almost punctures Yuuri’s eardrums when the last note dies on his lips and the audience needs a second to realize the song came to an end. They burst into a deafening roar then, and Yuuri releases the breath he’s been holding as the light above his head gradually dims. He braces himself in the fraction of a second he gets before YOLO’s next song blares from the speakers.

Phi, GH, and Seung-Gil are on the main stage already, and Yuuri jogs down the catwalk and takes his position between the latter two, meeting Phi’s eyes for only a second before he falls into the choreography with the rest of them.

The music is the loudest back here, and the fans are so far away that it's easy to drown out their enthusiastic chanting. Yuuri focuses solely on the rhythm of the music: the way his lungs resonate along the deep bass, his heart pounds as one with the drums, and his stomach drops with the beat.

He dances with abandon because he knows he's the best dancer in YOLO, and in moments like this, when his body becomes an outlet for the music they create, he believes it too. He adjusts the mic fixed around his jaw and the back of his head before it's his turn to sing; he steps forward, purple lights and green laser rays turning his skin and costume bi-color, and his voice fills the arena once again.

After more than two hours on stage, the spotlights are cooking Yuuri alive; the sweat under his clothes is sticky like it's the marination he's brewing in. He runs a hand through his hair, sweeping the loose strands out of his face and back into the slicked back style they've been combed into originally. He undoes the buttons on his velvet jacket, yearning for some colder air in vain. Relief doesn't arrive until the song ends and he jogs to the closest arena staff at the base of the stage to get a bottle of water.

“WHAT’S UP, SEOUL?” Phi shouts while he’s drinking. “Can you believe that the show is almost over?!”

His voice drowns in the crowd's protesting scream.

"How many songs do we have left?" Phi turns to GH. "Four?"

“THREE!” GH corrects him.

Phi makes a horrified face as he looks at the fans again, and they scream even louder in their unified horror in return.

From the corner of his eyes, Yuuri sees Seung-Gil taking his leather jacket off; he's fanning his back with it while slipping it off his arms and revealing the dark grey tank top underneath. It's equally as hot and uncomfortable as Yuuri's thick blazer, and heavier with all the metal zippers, studs, and buttons decorating it. He manages to momentarily distract the audience and he glances back at them unimpressed. For some reason, Seung-Gil dislikes interacting with fans even more than Yuuri does. That dislike stems from a different place than Yuuri's though; it’s got less to do with his confidence and more with genuine disinterest. 

Strangely enough, Yuuri considers him a motivator - a gentle reminder that he doesn't want to be perceived as a cold, untouchable person.

"I was thinking," he says, suddenly inspired by Seunf-Gil's standoffish attitude, walking the short distance to Phi and looping an arm around his shoulder. "How about we let them choose the next song?” He points at the audience with his free hand. Yuuri knows he’s squeezing Phi’s shoulder a bit too tightly, so he flexes his fingers a little.

GH squeals in glee.

"I can't hear ya'll!" He shouts and raises his arms to quiet down the fans who are screaming song titles at them, everyone at the same time.

“Let’s try again!” Phi chimes in too, totally unfazed by the force Yuuri’s still gripping him with. “Three! Two! One! Now!”

The audience is roaring again, and a particularly loud girl in the first row manages to impressively out-bellow the rest.

“ _Foolish Tears?_ ” Yuuri asks with a small smile.

The arena erupts in a cheer louder than ever.

“Let’s do this!” Phi starts jumping up and down, tagging Yuuri along with him. He wonders, bemused, how his friend isn't dying in his neon pink colored vinyl jacket.

The technicians catch up quickly and modify the playlist. Yuuri mirrors Seung-Gil's example while the intro of the song plays: he removes the blazer and leaves it with a staff member, then rolls the sleeves on his white shirt up to his elbows.

 _Foolish Tears_ is a medium tempo song which doesn't have a set choreography, so the four of them walk in four directions off the main stage, down the main catwalk to the secondary stage. They also have side catwalks that close in a full circle around the stadium like a ring, designed so the band can physically be closer to more fans.

They get a five minutes break after the last song ends and before the encore that the audience is currently begging for begins. The four of them gather backstage and peel off the remaining of their costumes, replacing them with cropped, ripped, colored, washed-out, beaded, or studded jeans and the official concert t-shirts. All of them are black with YOLO printed across the front with large, lopsided, silver letters. The Y is actually a hand showing a victory sign, the first O has a golden crown drawn on the top of it, and the second O resembles a winking emoji, but it's also pointing a sparkling, pink laser gun at the L. It comes in more than one style: Phi and GH stick with the regular one with the round neck, Seung-Gil with the deep V-neck, and Yuuri pulls the oversized one over his head with a neck wide enough that sometimes it falls off a shoulder. 

Phi returns to the stage with the rest of them, shouting at the top of his lungs, but even that doesn’t get anywhere near the volume of the fans while the first beats of their debut song, _You Only Live Once_ , fills the arena.

They dash across the stage into four different directions again, to do one last round around the catwalks before the encore wraps up. The braver fans are throwing gifts at them; Yuuri can make out stuffed toys, boxes of chocolate, and even a bouquet of flowers that look slightly ragged after two and half hours of concert craze. He gathers a few of them in an arm as he passes them by.

“YUURI!” Someone screams his name.

Yuuri, slightly squinting because the stage lights make it difficult to make out individual faces in the audience, manages to spot the source of the male voice: a couple of guys, one blonder than the other, jumping up and down around row five. One of them is pointing at something on the stage behind Yuuri, and he picks up whatever it is they threw there without thinking and shoves it in his arm between two the stuffed hamsters that have to be Phi's. He shows the guys a victory sign as the only way to thank them without disrupting GH's singing.

When the song, and thus the concert, comes to an end, YOLO holds hands on the main stage and say their final goodbye.

 

Yuuri feels the ache in his muscles slowly ease as he stands under the shower. He turns his face towards the hot spray of water and lets it run through his hair, stiff and smelling strongly like candied flowers from the jar of hair gel his stylist used on it.

He reaches for the shampoo and rubs it into his scalp, rinses it and repeats the process, then gets the shower gel to wash the sweat off his body. It's the same relaxing routine every night that he repeats until he feels thoroughly clean, and until he can't smell anything else on his skin but mint and lime.

It's nice to have the luxury of a private shower at this revenue - Yuuri much prefers it to the public stalls that he'd need to share with the rest of the guys. After performing in front of thousands of people, all he wants is to be left in silence, and luckily not even Phichit is eager enough to talk to him to follow him in here.

Though sometimes, like today, he can't be helped.

“Yuuri!” He shouts from the other side of the door. “Hurry up, Guang Hong is already stuffing his face with chocolate!"

“I can do without chocolate!” Yuuri shouts back. "Don't wait for me!"

"It's not as much fun without you! Hurry up!" His friend repeats.

Yuuri turns around and lets the strong spray of water massage the base of his rigid neck and his shoulders. As much as he appreciates the gifts fans dedicate to them, he's never as interested in sorting them as the rest of the guys. The ones meant for him are usually addressed as such and Phichit puts them into a separate bag like an after-concert ritual – that's Phi's way to unwind as it's Yuuri's to take long showers.

He isn’t concerned about getting out yet so he takes half a step back and lets the water run down the back of his head and imagines as the anxiety stemmed doubts and worries that built up during the course of the day wash away with it. When his mind is blissfully quiet, he dries himself, finds his glasses, and redresses into a comfortable pair of jeans and a hoodie.

He can faintly hear Phichit and Guang Hong's laughter from the other side of the door, but instead of joining them, he'd rather just be alone a little bit longer. The bathroom opens to the shared dressing room though, so he sees his two bandmates elbow-deep in the pile of gifts on the sofa when he steps out. Seung-Gil can't be bothered either; he's sitting in the only armchair in the room, hands glued to his phone and typing so fast his fingers are a blur to Yuuri.

“Yuuri, the craziest present of the day award is officially yours!" Phichit says with that glint in his eyes that never promises anything good, and Yuuri wonders what kind of mad gift he received this time. "I didn't mean to open it, by the way, but the ribbon kinda slipped off.”

"That's a total lie," Guang Hong says, but his eyes roll with a grin which means he isn't all that concerned that Phichit's sticking his nose where it doesn't belong.

He throws something black, red and white at Yuuri and he cups his hands to catch the thing – actually it turns out to be three things: the red ribbon was probably meant to hold the piece of paper and the black material together.

"Wait, is this?" he asks, his voice wary. "What the-?"

"Yeah," Guang Hong says. "I wish I could unsee it.”

Phichit bursts out laughing and keeps laughing to the point where tears are slipping from his eyes.

Yuuri hangs the plain black thong, men's for obvious reasons, from his little finger. There's a little piece of paper, torn from one of those small notepads that come complimentary in hotel rooms, stuck to the back of the underwear where the thick strings cross.

 

EAT MY ASS LIKE YUURI KATSUKI EATS KATSUDON!

 

“People are crazy,” Yuuri concludes as he rips the note off the thong.

“You mean someone is crazy about you." Phichit manages a full sentence between the fits of laughter. "Did you check the label? This is expensive shit!"

“ _Did you?"_ Phi, who knows if it's even clean!" 

“It smells like detergent,” Guang Hong chimes in helpfully. Yuuri isn't sure he wants to know how it became obvious to them. 

"The point is," Phichit repeats when Yuuri stops being amusing, so he isn't laughing anymore. "Someone's eager to get in your pants."

"Half the stadium was eager to get into them," Guang Hong rolls his eyes.

He gets the point. It's not like Yuuri doesn't know that what they look like is almost more important than if they can even sing, and that their fanbase would be half its size if they weren't good looking.

“This note is disrespectful.”

“Creative,” Phichit argues.

“Arrogant.”

“Come on, this was probably a once in a lifetime chance for him to confess. He deserves kudos.”

Yuuri rolls his eyes. Sometimes, he can't believe this is his best friend. He loves Phichit to bits, but his sense of humor is very questionable.

“He could have invited him for a coffee instead…?" Guang Hong offers tentatively when Yuuri remains silent.

“I’m just saying, if it was me on my idol’s concert whom I was pining after, I wouldn’t have gambled on subtle either.”

That's boldly assuming that there's anyone out there who would blindly meet a creeper like the owner of these thongs. This dude could be a serial killer for all Yuuri knows.

Instead of saying this though, he says “But since he didn’t leave neither his name nor his number…” Yuuri hands the note back to Phichit with the black thing. "This isn't gonna happen."

“And if he did?” Phichit asks as he takes the unwanted gifts. “You’d turn him down like you turn down everyone, right?”

"Of course I would," Yuuri answers quietly. That hurt. It's not like Phichit to aim under the belt. He wants to wonder why he’s this persuasive about some stupid underwear, but he also feels like he should be significantly angrier. This thought stops him from saying anything, so he gets his shoes and his backpack from the feet of the chair he was sitting in to have his hair and make-up done.

“Yuuri."

"I'm going for a walk. I'll catch a taxi back to the hotel, so don't wait up."

He's already out of the room by the time he realizes he didn't dry his hair, but he doesn't feel like going back in there and potentially starting another argument with his friend. So, exploring Seoul like he wanted to under the protection of a medical mask to hide his identity is out of the question.

That’s alright. He takes the familiar route back to the stage; sometimes it's just as nice to hang around the empty stadium before the crew starts disassembling the stage. It’s hauntingly empty and Yuuri loves being completely alone in that vast space, which, just an hour ago, was filled with 25,000 people.

He's just aimlessly wandering, really, not really looking where he's going and finding himself on the same catwalk he took during the encore. The floor under it is a mess, he notes, as he hops off and roams further away from the backstage area, picking at the trash—paper cups, plastic bottles, tissues, and torn tickets—with the toes of his shoes.

YOLO will do another night in Seoul, then move to other parts of South-Korea:  Busan, then Daegu, then Changwon. They'll fly to Japan after that, then to China, and end the tour in Thailand. Their program is quite extensive and wraps around a little over two months in the calendar, and that's a privilege and curse at the same time with four members coming from four different countries.

Yuuri doesn't mind though; he loves traveling, and he loves that he always manages to have enough free time to explore his favorite cities. He may even go home when they're in Fukuoka. He's already sent a large batch of tickets to his family and friends; it would make sense to go back to Hasetsu with them, maybe even bring the rest of the band with him if they’re up to some fun in his parents’ hot spring.

His thoughts return to today's performance. It went alright; Yuuri remembered all of his lyrics and didn't screw up any of the choreography, and he didn't even bomb his solo completely. 

From the corner of his eye, he catches his name written on what turns out to be an envelope on the floor. It’s dirty with footprints and it has a dark patch on it that could be spilled coke or coffee, but the ink on it didn’t suffer damage. The handwriting is elegant and intriguing at the same time: small, tilted letters with confident strokes, long ascenders, descenders, and loops with similarly long crossbars over the t's and f's.

He expects the sort of things he usually receives in fanmail: a love confession, a thank you message, or a drawing maybe, but what he finds after he carefully opens the envelope is a several page long letter. He stops in his tracks as he turns the pages in his hand… it's got to be the longest letter he's ever received.

He climbs back up on the catwalk and sits with his legs dangling off the edge, and looks at the letter and wonders what kind of person sits down and handwrites it when it's faster to just type it on a computer and print it. He likes this show of extra effort.

 

> _Dear Yuuri,_
> 
> _I want you to know how thankful I am that I met you through YOLO. It was a total accident that I stumbled into your band and I wasn't able to take my eyes off you since that moment. I don't mean to creep you out with this, I'm just saying that I probably wouldn't be so hooked on YOLO if it wasn't for you._
> 
> _Tomorrow will be the first time I see you guys in person and I'm writing this letter, hoping that I'll get close enough to the stage to get it to you. I know I could send it straight to your mailing address, but would you be really getting it that way? Or would it be just some random PR person sorting it into the trash? I think it's more likely this will end up in your hands if I figure out how to teleport it onto the stage in the likely event that I don't end near enough._
> 
> _Anyhow, back to the beginning. To be honest, I knew you before I knew about who and what YOLO was. Some friends recommended me your twitter account (I wish you used it more) because of the things you're sharing there, and I don't even know where to start telling you how much I look up to you for being a pioneer for mental health. I started following you to keep up with the encouragements you send to your followers, and I eventually realized you were a famous singer in Asia. That's how I stumbled into YOLO, and then I stayed because I was curious if you were reaching out to those lost in this world through your music as well._
> 
> _And you were, and how lucky is it that your music is available on Spotify? I was absolutely ready to spend a fortune and import your entire discography from overseas (I live in Europe), but instead I got to make a playlist of my favorite songs, the majority of which are your solos. I like the electro-pop you guys usually stick to, but your solo songs, Yuuri, they’re different. I can only describe them as otherworldly. The lyrics are magical, and I blindly believe the pseudo that takes credit for your songs, Lilium, is you._
> 
> _You've been proving this with every song with your fingerprint on it. Without meaning to disrespect the rest of the group, I wish you'd do more than only one solo in the concerts – or have your own solo tour, would that be asking for too much? Because I'd pay whatever price it would come with._
> 
> _I can’t wait to see you perform_ Shooting Star _tomorrow. I don’t care if it’ll be in Japanese because I listened to it so many times in English that I have the lines memorized. Without hijacking this letter and turning it into an astronomical dispute, I wish more people recognized the metaphors you use in it. Your comparison of shooting stars to real stars is beautiful and holds so much truth: people are mesmerized by the romanticised idea of falling stars (which aren't even real stars) when in reality nobody knows when an actual star dies. The first time I listened to it, it made me cry (Don't tell anyone, it's your secret now!)_
> 
> _I dare to disagree with another general opinion as well: the song reminds me more of the depressive episodes I experience than of a song of romantic heartbreak people assume it is. I might be wrong here and I actually wish I was. I just can't help but sometimes wonder if you're okay behind that beautiful yet sometimes insincere smile of yours? I know it's bold of me to say this, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities between what you sometimes look like and what you sing about in Shooting Star._
> 
> _Will you be performing_ Language Unknown _at one point in this tour? I know it's from the previous album thus not the focus of promotion this year, but probably I wouldn't be the only one feeling blessed if you gifted us with that uniquely strong voice you reserve for rock(ish) songs. When you're relaxed enough so your emotions are able to leak into your voice, magic happens. You have such a strong voice. When it strains with your emotions, it gives me hope during my darkest hours. The heavy drums and guitars in the second part of the song, combined with that voice are heavy. I'm not usually one to be at a loss for words, but your songs are one of few things capable of making me speechless._
> 
> _I could go on and on and on. I could interpret all of your songs, tell you what I feel while listening to them, but I would only end up repeating myself. They're like therapy to me. Knowing that I'm not alone in this world with such problems helps (even if they aren't exactly the same, and I can't know what kind of monsters you're fighting.) Listening to you sing your heart out feels like you’re singing mine out as well._
> 
> _I hope that writing and singing them helps you too. I also hope that you receive the kind of support that you're so generous to offer to others._
> 
> _Please, never stop writing and never stop singing and never stop taking care of yourself._
> 
> _I hope you'll never stop dancing either. I know that skills like yours are mandatory for everyone who wants to make it in the boyband business, but don't think I don't see how overqualified you are for the choreographies you guys are doing. You're an astonishing dancer who is able to pull off absolutely any style, but your grace and perfect form imply that you've got more than the standard dance training in your agency. It’s ballet, isn’t it? No matter how good you’re disguising your origin, a ballet dancer always recognizes another._
> 
> _You’re such a riddle, Yuuri Katsuki. You're also an inspiration. You’re living proof that it’s possible to be famous but humble, anxious but brave, depressed but strong, lucky but hardworking, reserved but well-spoken, and gorgeous but shy all at the same time. You give me faith that maybe one day I'll become a person like you. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the meaning of the word ‘idol' bears in Japan, but to me, idol means someone I aspire to be like. Like a role model._
> 
> _So, in this sense, you’re my idol._
> 
> _I’m lucky enough that I’m able to take some time off from work and follow YOLO on this tour around Asia. I will be no more than just a tiny speck of light among a thousand, but what's the night sky if not a collection of tiny specks of light, right? I didn't get tickets to all of your concerts, but I'll see you more times than I dreamed I ever would. This is the best autumn I’ve ever had._
> 
> _Always yours,_
> 
> _A devoted fan_

Yuuri stares at the beautifully neat handwriting, thoughtful words forming confessions that drip respect and trust and love in such a gentle way that they don't intimidate him at all. Rather, on the contrary, they’re touching in an unexpected way, and as Yuuri finds himself rereading the letter, he realizes his vision isn’t blurry because he needs to adjust his glasses but because this person brought tears into his eyes.

His emotions are becoming overwhelming; he's never received such an insightful letter before. Fans keep telling him how much they love his songs, but only a few grasps what the lyrics really mean. Even less realizes that Yuuri’s name means lily if it were to be translated into another language and that it matches the meaning of the penname signing his songs.

He knew that his social media presence were helping those in need—that was the reason why he put effort into updating his twitter and Instagram regularly after all—but even with thousands of likes, replies, and retweet, Yuuri had never fully realized the impact he's had on them until someone told him in such an explicit manner.

And who is this person who trusts Yuuri more than he ever imagined anyone would? A devoted fan can be anybody, any one of the 25,000 souls attending the concert tonight. Is it a guy? A girl? He can't even be sure of that; he can't guess it from the elegant handwriting. He tries to remember walking down this catwalk during the encore, tries to remember all the faces, but it could be any of the hundreds lining up in tight queues, screaming and singing and pushing closer to the stage.

He wants this fan to know that the letter they put so much effort into was found… that he received it and appreciated it.

The owner follows him on twitter, so he can maybe leave a message there… But the more he thinks about this idea the more he believes it isn't good enough. He or she must have spent hours composing it and it would be disrespectful to regard it with just a single tweet to say some quick thanks. But what more can he do? His account is set up so he can't receive direct messages from the people he isn't friends with, so asking them to message him isn't an option. And even if it was, he's sure the genuine writer of the letter wouldn't be the only one doing it.

Maybe he could ask Phi… he’s the social media expert after all. If someone, then he knows a way to find this person.

He fishes his phone out of his pocket and faces the hundreds of notifications waiting for him to read them. He's used to this kind of attention, especially when he's in the middle of a tour and publicity is stronger than usual, but when he skims through them he realizes this is about something entirely different. All of them mention Phichit, not just Yuuri, so he tracks down the original tweet that started this madness on his friend's twitter page.

His resolution to go to him for help quickly evaporates.

 

> **Phi Chu** **★** @phichit+chu ∙ 1h  
>  WANTED! @y-katsuki is looking for his 21st century Cinderella who fits in these sexy panties! Apply with proof of ownership! #Cinderella #yuurikatsuki #YOLO

 

There’s another, posted soon after the first one, trying to control the clearly out of hand situation. As far as Yuuri's concerned, it's pointless…

 

> **Phi Chu** **★** @phichit+chu ∙ 43m  
>  Calm down, ladies! This belongs to a guy, so they won’t fit y’all!!!!!! #Cinderellaisadude #yuurikatsuki #YOLO

 

Yuuri’s stomach drops… This is what it must feel like falling off a rainbow. The shy joy that was blooming in his chest is gone now.

All these fake "photo proofs" the fans are tagging him in on are overwhelming and they're completely out of control. This is fucked up on so many levels, starting with the tweet where Phichit explicitly implies that Yuuri wants to find a romantic(?) sexual(???) partner in the person who's throwing underwear at him.

The peace of the arena is ruined, so Yuuri gathers his backpack and heads for the exit. He'll need to sit down with Phichit, delete these ridiculous tweets, and have a chat that Yuuri isn't looking forward to at all.

If only all the gifts he receives would be coming from people who respect him as the owner of the letter does.

 

* * *

 

Viktor is mesmerized. Again. He's surely living a dream, not reality. He wants to pinch himself even though he knows how stupid it would look, just to make sure he's awake. Seeing Yuuri Katsuki perform not just once, but two days in a row is a privilege he still can't believe he's entitled to.

But something is off today, he can tell from the start. He's seen all of YOLO's previous concerts that were released on DVD so he knows that Yuuri’s a moody person. He can be the sweetest man on earth one day and completely withdrawn the next, but to witness it with his own eyes is… more shocking than what he's prepared for. The cute, lovely guy hanging off Phi's shoulder is gone. Instead, the audience gets untouchable Yuuri with the dangerously serious eyes that are immune to jokes and general fun, and won't crinkle with a smile when GH is tripping over himself trying to engage him in conversation.

Viktor can think of only one thing that can cause a crucial change in his behavior in less than twenty-four hours: Phi's scandalous tweet last night which ended up with 9,000 likes and retweets and an endless string of replies.

His heart squeezes as the music switches to _Tomorrowland_ , a ballad that relies heavily on Yuuri and Phi’s harmonious voice. Although the pair pulls it off, the usual chemistry is completely absent from their performance.

He wonders if Yuuri and Phi were having a fight over those tweets. Yuuri usually doesn't approve of such messages, especially because he always takes great measures to keep his private life, well, private. 

Viktor’s eyes are glued to the closest screen and curses the people responsible for editing the footage appearing on it. He kind of wishes there was a camera strictly following Yuuri only, so Viktor would never lose sight of him.

His outfit agrees with the general theme of the rest of YOLO's costumes; he's wearing shiny leather pants with a white shirt and a knee-length, navy style black jacket that clings to his body in all the right places. Its golden buttons and embroidered golden ornaments stand out starkly and sparkle in the stage lights. He looks deadly with his hair swept out of his face, approaching the catwalk with a purpose that has nothing in common with the cute but anxious side of him.

They keep the same costume on for the next song, _Freak Show_ , a slightly theatrical song that's surely blasting from the speakers at every Halloween party. It comes with gorgeous choreography during the chorus, so all four of them are heading to the secondary stage, which is right in front of Viktor. Thank god at least there he has an alright view at Yuuri from sideways.

There's a short break after that song to give the guys time to change costumes, and when they emerge from backstage and the first beats of _Aquamarine Blades_ fill the arena, the fans erupt in an enthusiastic scream. This song was written as the opening of a popular fantasy anime, and YOLO’s outfits resemble the characters in the series, but Viktor has eyes for only Yuuri and sees only his costumes: he's still wearing the leather pants but switched to a white tank top and a checked red and black shirt over it.

The choreography is amazing. It keeps staying amazing and so professional Viktor wonders what sort of teachers they have in the agency… it's not just YOLO who is fantastic, but their back dancers too.

His thoughts become slightly incoherent by the time the solos start, and Viktor’s glad for the Yuuri-free time he gets because if his solo will be as impressive as it was yesterday, he needs time to prepare for the impact. When it's finally his turn on the stage and the lights go out and Viktor sees Yuuri seated at the piano in the shadows, facing Viktor's general direction, his assigned seat doesn't feel so unfortunate anymore.

He isn’t prepared for the heartbreak though; he isn’t prepared for Yuuri’s voice cracking two lines into the song nor his fingers fumbling on the piano keys, like the perfect performance from yesterday was nothing but an illusion. Viktor darts his gaze back at the overhead screens to watch him up-close; the cracks on his face show only now that he’s without the rest of the band keeping him anchored. He’s crumbling, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if you weren’t paying close attention to the unusual vibration of his voice and his eyebrows knotting above tightly closed eyes.

Viktor isn't the only one in the stands crying by the end.

It’s only partly because he’s moved by the sheer beauty of the song and the performance. The greater part of his grief stems from the fact that he’s responsible for it.

Yuuri manages to recover during the next song, but he remains even quieter than usual when Phi and GH start a mini conversation similar to the one from yesterday. He stays close to the edge, right where there's a hidden escape route to backstage, and Viktor catches sight of YOLO's manager, Celestino Cialdini, a tall, Italian man with gray hair combed into a long ponytail, talking to him privately.

In the meanwhile, GH introduces the next song, _Trainwreck_ , a song not chosen by a fan like yesterday at Yuuri’s suggestion.

Yuuri pulls himself slightly together after the brief conversation with Cialdini and the last couple of songs leading up to the encore are less cringe-worthy than the ones before, yet… the indifference Yuuri’s showing to Phi and the professional smile Phi takes it with still wrenches Viktor’s heart.

To his surprise, they choose two songs tonight for the encore: _You Only Live Once_ , which is no surprise because it’s been on the playlist yesterday too, but _Watch My Back_ , another old song from their debut single, is. Phi suggests it at the last moment when Seung-Gil is ready to start his goodbye speech and comes as a shock not just to the audience but to the band members too.

Yuuri stares at him, bewildered. Phi looks back at him and lets the smallest of smiles approach his lips as he holds his hands out to Yuuri and starts singing. Phi lifts his eyebrows and Yuuri rolls his eyes, but then Phi steps closer and Yuuri lifts a hand up, maybe to push him away, but then changes his mind.

Of course, Viktor remembers… _Watch My Back_ is a collaboration between Phichit and Lilium, and it describes a friendship that goes above and beyond anything imaginable. It’s a beautiful tale of two people who are opposites of each other, but every time they drift apart they find their way back together.

Everyone seems to be tearing up again, starting with Phichit and Yuuri and Viktor, but by the end of the song, it feels like it spread to the entire arena.

For the first time in YOLO's history, they ignore the gifts thrown on stage. It causes slight confusion in the group of girls sitting next to him, but Viktor doesn't think it takes a genius to know why: the cameras aren't focusing on what's at the singers' feet, but still picks up the images of silky, lacy panties and bras covering the stages and the catwalks - underwear that definitely wasn't part of their regular gifts yesterday.

“Thank you all for coming tonight!” Phichit starts the string of final goodbyes. He's still holding Yuuri's hand. "Our time in Seoul was even more amazing than the last time. But with the current turn of events," he pauses for a second and affords a glance in his friend's direction, "I owe Yuuri and all the rest of you an apology."

The shock on Yuuri's face looks so genuine, so Viktor believes without a doubt that Phi is improvising this speech.

“I’m sorry, Yuuri. I thought I was doing the right thing when I tweeted that stupid photo. I took it down as soon as you asked me to, but I didn't know it would be the start of an underwear avalanche…" He's gesturing at all the colorful garments scattered across the stages, and chuckles. Yuuri smiles a little in return. "So, although I'm rather proud of y'all for so enthusiastically participating in the hashtag Cinderella campaign, please don't give us any more undies and undie photos."

Phi pulls Yuuri into an embrace that turns into a group hug quickly after GH pulls Seung-Gil after him and collides the four of them together. There are laughter and Seung-Gil's hiss of a complaint.

Viktor’s so glad.

Also, he’s going to kill Chris as soon as he finds him.

 

They deem finding each other in a crowd of 25,000 mission impossible after a couple of text messages and agree to meet in the same restaurant they were having dinner last night.

Viktor arrives first and orders a bowl of yukgaejang, which is sort of a beef stew dish that he saw some other customer eat and liked what it looked like. He hopes it will taste as good it looks as he taps his phone impatiently, reloading his twitter feed to see whether Yuuri or Phichit updated their status. It's too early, though… They must still be busy at the revenue and have a million more important things to do than to send reassurance out in the ether to make Viktor feel better about the pain he inflicted on them.

Chris arrives with a grin spread wide across his face and plops down in the chair across Viktor's.

“What’s so funny?” He asks grumpily as Chris picks up the menu and contemplates the tiny images next to the incomprehensible Korean characters.

“Why so sour, chéri?” Chris croons after a waiter takes his order and hurries over to the next table. “Look at this.”

Chris fumbles with his phone for a couple of seconds and lays it on the table. Viktor glances at the screen, which displays an ongoing conversation between him and Phi Chu.

“Is this… what is this?” He asks, a tad confused, because when did this happen?! “Did Phi reply?!”

“He totally did! Look at the length of this conversation!" He turns his phone so it faces Viktor and pushes it across the table.

“Why would he do that?” Viktor asks exasperatedly. Didn’t Phi apologize for posting that tweet? Didn’t he and Yuuri make up? Yuuri did seem incredibly upset today about the whole underwear fiasco, which must mean that he isn't interested in finding out who the gift came from.  

Phi's latest message is from five minutes ago, so clearly, not everything is as dandy between the two singers as they made it look like on stage. Either that, or Phi read the letter too, and for some reason, he does want to know who it came from.

His eyes narrow as he snatches the phone before his friend can get hold of it again, skimming through the conversation from the beginning.

 

> Ok so that image u sent me looks suspiciously like the real deal.
> 
> How do you have this photo?
> 
> Wow, Phichit Chulanont is texting me!
> 
> That's my handwriting on the note
> 
> The thong belongs to my best friend
> 
> And he has a luggage full of them if you need further proof ;)
> 
> I do need further proof if u don't mind.
> 
> [image]

 

Viktor isn't sure he wants to know when and how Chris had time to go through his luggage and spread out a week's worth of fresh black thongs and briefs on the hotel bed and photograph them with a note saying GREETINGS – YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER!

 

> Holy crap. It's u.
> 
> Well, ur friend.
> 
> So why is it u messaging me not him?
> 
>  
> 
> He’s a sweet guy. Sweet guys don’t approve of my unorthodox methods of delivering letters.
> 
> ??
> 
> He’s a romantic.
> 
> He wrote the letter to Yuuri but had no idea how to give it to him.
> 
> Thus, I improvised ;)
> 
> Do you mean that message?
> 
> I'll be honest here, I loved that message but if that's ur friend's idea of romantic then he’s a lost cause.
> 
> It’s a great pick-up line tho.
> 
> Not the message, that extra charm is coming purely from me ;)
> 
> I'm talking about the letter.
> 
> The envelope?
> 
> Full of cheesy stuff probably?
> 
> What envelope?
> 
> Crap.
> 
>  
> 
> “What does he mean there’s no envelope?” Viktor asks. “The only reason I went along with your idea was to get that letter to Yuuri."
> 
> “I know, chérie,” Chris answers in the tone of voice Viktor knows very well he reserves for when he’s uncharacteristically upset. “I’m sorry.”
> 
>  
> 
> Let’s get this story straight then:
> 
> We gave Yuuri a letter with that seductive little thing and my blunt but genuine little request. Yuuri got the latter two, but not the letter.
> 
> You started a campaign to find us and then deleted the whole thing later. It was strange that you were tweeting about the thong but not the letter, but we assumed you wanted to keep a low profile on that because it's private?
> 
> So, in the end, you really were just looking for the owner of that sexy black thong?
> 
> And Yuuri told you to do delete the tweets?
> 
> He did :/
> 
> I meant well.
> 
> We don’t usually get *gifts* like this. Yuuri’s...
> 
> Nevermind.
> 
> I see this isn’t the case now.
> 
> What isn’t the case?
> 
> He looks pretty upset about it. Did you guys have a fight?
> 
> And yet here you are messaging me. Are you sneaking off in the middle of the concert to do it? ;)
> 
> Maybe ur friend can write him another letter and give it to Yuuri in person?
> 
> I think I can organize that.
> 
> ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YESSS!
> 
> We’re leaving for Busan first thing in the morning, so it has to happen tonight.
> 
> Don’t worry. We’re coming to Busan too. We’ll organize it somehow.

 

“What do you think?” Chris asks when Viktor lowers the phone back to the table and pushes it back to him.

Yeah, that’s great news and Viktor would pump his fist in the air in any other circumstance, but this doesn’t feel right. He can tell that Phi means well, but he’d be going against Yuuri’s will again, behind Yuuri’s back, and that doesn’t sit well with Viktor. Yuuri already expressed that he doesn't appreciate Phi hooking him up with random fans—because this is what it must be, right? Because as Phi himself said: there's nothing romantic about a thong and a piece of hotel paper with EAT ME LIKE YUURI KATSUKI EATS KATSUDON scribbled across it.

Viktor's only human; he wouldn't hesitate to say yes if it was Yuuri asking, but he can’t even imagine him agreeing to a meeting like this, so…

He does want him to get his letter though. He could maybe go, make sure he gets it this time, then leave before Chris decides to become his good-willed fairy godmother again.

He almost says yes to Chris when a sudden thought occurs: would Yuuri even want to read his letter after all that already went down between them?

“I don’t know, Chris,” he says, overwhelming frustration creeping up on him. “I want Yuuri to get over this and to forgive Phi and to stop being ice cold when he sings.”

"Are you really going to toss up the opportunity to meet him?" Chris wiggles his eyebrows.

The waiter stops by with Viktor’s meal and promises to come back with Chris’s as soon as it’s ready.

“Yeah,” Viktor contemplates before he says it. “I want him to be glad to meet me, not—” he makes a wide gesture with the hand that doesn't hold chopsticks— "upset.”

Yuuri has anxiety. Viktor knows that because he's pretty much a walking  Katsuki Yuuri lexicon, but Chris doesn't know that and probably wouldn't care if he did. He really wonders if this still even is about Viktor and his letter, or it's really Chris who wants to meet Phi, his favorite.

Chris makes a face but agrees to tell Phi that Viktor declines the offer.

 

> **poodlelbooq**
> 
> I ended up hurting someone who I only meant to cherish. I want to apologize to him, but he doesn't even know I exist. I was _hopin_ g that we would meet one day or that at least he would learn that I exist, but this isn't how I imagined it happening. I kind of always hoped he'd smile if he saw me, but if we met now he would probably end up crying.
> 
> Does this make sense?
> 
> #a loser's guide to how to fuck up #typical #from Seoul with heartbreak
> 
> **97 notes**
> 
> **tigersetsky**  
>  This is pathetic. U screwed up. U man up  & apologize. What’s so complicated about it?
> 
> **webreathethesameair** « **poodlelbooq  
>  ** My life in a nutshell
> 
> **s-o-f-i-i-i-a  
>  ** ♥
> 
> **ficusss  
>  ** Why so worked up when he doesn’t even know you? Bet he already forgot about it. Move on, man.
> 
> **dime-a-dozen-singer  
>  ** How did you end up hurting him? You could apologize in a similar way, without meeting him? My best friend hurt me recently… It sucked, but he apologized so now all is well. I know I would have had a much harder time forgiving him if he didn’t come to me. If there’s a chance of you guys ever meeting face-to-face, wouldn’t you want to have the apology out of the way by then? You seem like a nice person, I’m sure it’s pretty impossible to stay angry with you for a long time.
> 
> **poodlelbooq  
>  ** @dime-a-dozen-singer It's what I did, not what I said that hurt him, so I don't think he'd appreciate me repeating it… You're always doing your best to give good advice, I appreciate it. Thank you.
> 
> **larggplant** « **poodlelbooq  
>  ** @youdontknowwho @rubber-boi @stretchedsketch Familiar?!?!
> 
> **dime-a-dozen-singer  
>  ** Anyway, I think he’d appreciate it if you found a way to say sorry before it’s too late.
> 
> **dime-a-dozen-singer  
>  ** I’m sorry I’m so adamant. It’s the fresh wounds.
> 
> **tigersetsky  
>  ** @dime-a-dozen-singer Shut up. Our opinion may be the same, but u buttering him up doesn’t help the situation.

 

There are a few days of break between YOLO’s shows in Seoul and Busan, and Viktor and Chris use that time to finally have a look around before following the band to the southern part of the country.

They find a promising list of attractions online to check out so they set off early in the morning after the concert and start with Changdeokung, which is supposed to be the most spectacular palace in the city.

It could be a shack in the back of Viktor's garden for all he cares… he spends most of the time walking around like a zombie with his eyes glued to his phone, refreshing his social media feeds every couple of minutes looking for an update from Yuuri.

It's pointless to be scared of missing out on anything because Yuuri is silent as ever, and it doesn't look like he plans to change that.

Chris tries to distract him for a while but gives up with a shake of his head when Viktor doesn't hear his repeated request to make a selfie in the Olympic Park in front of the ridiculous looking, giant statue of a finger.

"You're miserable," he informs him ten minutes later, in front of the rather famous fountain that plays music. "That's it, we're going out tonight. We'll find some cute guys and drown your sorrow in fancy drinks." 

“That’s unnecessary,” Viktor pulls a face, but his refusal just fuels the fire with which Chris’s determination burns.

 

> **dime-a-dozen-singer**
> 
> Hiii! Sorry for messaging you so suddenly. It’s not about your latest post, but if you’d like to talk about it, I’m all ears :)
> 
> How do I say this without sounding creepy…? I really like your content, so that’s why I’ve been following your blog for a while, and
> 
> Uhh
> 
> Okay, so a few days ago when you said you were going to some sort of event with a large audience in Seoul, was that the YOLO concert?
> 
> I was there, and I found this letter addressed to  Yuuri Katsuki on the floor. I'm sorry that I couldn't help myself and read it. What's written there is beautiful. Some parts of it felt familiar and I realized that’s because the writer’s style is very similar to yours. They even quoted your blog a few times.  So, it got me curious that you’re maybe a YOLO fan? :)
> 
> Sorry about the dozen messages! Especially if this is a misunderstanding!


End file.
